One of the world’s most desirable brands had the most unlikely of beginnings. Chanel is named after Gabrielle Chanel. She began her life in an orphanage and became a seamstress. Success soon followed and she opened her first fashion house in 1915. By 1918 she was running the largest fashion house of the day. Her business was forced to close during WWII, but by 1955 at age 71, she was crowned the most influential designer on earth. Chanel watches were introduced in 1987, and, as with everything that bears the Chanel logo, the range, from Premiere to the J12 series, represents consummate quality and good taste.